Velocipede.



No. 787,670. PATENTED APR. 18, 1905. E. W. HYDE.

VELOGIPEDE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28, 1904.

s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

' B. W. HYDE.

VELOOIPEDE.

. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 28, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED APR. 18, 1905. E. W. HYDE.

VELOGIPEDE.

APPLICATION FILED $1111.28, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3'.

UNITED STATES Patented April 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

VELOCIPEDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 787,670, dated April18, 1905.

Application filed J auuary 28, 1904. Serial No. 190,954.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EBEN W. HYDE, of New Haven, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Velocipedes; and I do hereby declare the following, whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the numerals ofreference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification,and represent, in-

Figure 1, a side view of a velocipede constructed in accordance with myinvention; Fig. 2, a detached View of the same with the seat or saddleand wagon-body removed; Fig. 3, an under-side view of the forward end ofthe body, showing the upper end of the front fork in section; Fig. 4, asimilar view with the fork turned to one side; Fig. 5, a front View,partially in section, showing the connection between the head and theforward wheel; Fig. 6, a sectional view through one of the bolts andbushings by which the shafts are connected to the body; Fig. 7, a topview showing the employment of two horses and modified means for holdingthe front wheel in a straight line with the rear wheels; Fig. 8, abroken front view of the same.

This invention relates to an improvement in velocipedes, andparticularly to that class which include a seat or carriage and a horseand in which the device is guided. by turning a front wheel arrangedbeneath the horse, the object of the invention being a simpleconstruction in which the front wheel is normally held in a straightline with the rear wheels, and one in which the wagon-body may beconveniently attached or detached, and in certain details ofconstruction and combination of parts, as will be more fully described,and particularly recited in the claims.

In carrying out my invention I employ an axle 2, having cranks 3 4 andwheels 5 6 rigidly connected therewith. Upon the axle and near thewheels are blocks 7 8, to which the shafts 9 10 are connected. At apoint slightly forward of the axle the shafts converge toward each otherand then extend forward in parallel lines on opposite sides of thehorsebody 11, to which they are rigidly attached. On the outer face ofeach of the shafts near the rear of the horse is a socket 12, in whichpedal-levers 13 are swiveled, the levers carrying pedals l4 andconnected by links 15 with the cranks 3 and 4, the pedals being arrangedto swing outside the shafts 9 and 10. At a point slightly forward of thewheels the shafts are connected by a brace 16, to which a seatpost 17 isconnected, the brace being slightly inclined rearward, so as to inclinethe post in that direction, and to this post a seat or saddle 18 issecured.

Preferably, and as herein shown, a box or wagon-body 19 may be employed,the box having a downwardly-extending lip 20 at its forward end forengagement with the brace 16, the lip and post being connected with thebrace by one or more screws 21. Secured to the under side of the bodynear its rear end are springs 22, having forked ends 23, adapted to restupon the rear ends of the blocks 7 and 8 on the axle 2, the box orwagon-body 19 being thus supported sufliciently above the axle to giveclearance for the cranks 3 and 4. The head 24 of the horse is madeseparate from the body and secured between the sides of a yoke 25 at theupper end of a post 26, which extends down through the forward end ofthe body and rigidly connected with the fork 27, in which the frontwheel 28 is mounted. Secured to the under side of the body at theforward end is a plate 29, through which the post 26 extends, and thisplate has a rearward extension 30, terminating in a downwardly-extendingstop-finger 31, and is provided with lugs or pins 32 to limit theturning of a fork which carries an arm 33, adapted to strike either ofthe pins 32 as the fork is turned. Projecting rearward from the upperend of the fork is an arm 34, carrying at its rear end a vertical pin35, on which is against opposite sides of the roller 36, and

these arms are connected by a spiral spring 38, the tendency of which isto draw the rear ends of the arms together and against opposite sides ofthe stopfinger 31, which limits their movement toward each other.

At the mouth of the head of the horse 24: a bit 39 is secured, and tothis bit reins 40 are connected, the ends of the bit projecting for aconsiderable extent beyond the sides of the head, so as to givesufficient leverage to permit the head to be easily turned by the reins.

Preferably the shafts 9 and 10 will be connected with the body by bolts41, which pass through bushings 42, mounted in the body of the horse andcorresponding in length to the thickness of the body and so that theshafts are clamped against the ends of the bushings. These bushings aredesirable, as it permits the bolts to be turned to a rigid bearing andprevents the shafts becoming loose if the body of the horse, which ismade from wood, should shrink. If two horses are employed, the shafts 9and 10 will pass between them and one shaft secured to each horses body.With two bodies the central pin 26, instead of extending up through thebody of the horse, will extend up through a frame 43, secured to theforward ends of the shafts, and the heads of the horses will be merelyswiveled to the bodies, and instead of forming the plate 29 with arearward extension and stop-finger 31 a plate 44 will be connected tothe under sides of the bodies in rear of the frame 43, and this platewill have a forward extension 45, terminating in a downwardly-extendingstop-finger 46; corresponding to the said finger 31 before described.Pivotally mounted on this plate are arms I7, corresponding to the arms37 and bearing against opposite sides of the roller 36 in the same wayas before described, the arm 47 being connected by a spiral spring 48.In this construction the stop-lugs 49 will be arranged in the frame 43to coact with the finger 50, carried by and turned by the fork andcorresponding to the finger 31 before described. With'two horses alsothe upper end to the outer ends of the bits will not only turn the headsof both horses, but turn the post 26, so as to turn the front wheel 28,which with two horses will stand between the bodies.

By employing two arms 37 or 4:7 I am only required to use a singlecoiled spring in order to hold the fork of the front wheel in a straightline. When the fork is turned in one direction, it moves one of the armsagainst the tension of its spring, the other arm being held by thestop-finger31 or 46, and when it is turned in the opposite direction theother finger is moved and tends to return the arm into a straight linewith the shafts.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a velocipede comprising an axle, wheels, seat and shafts, thecombination of a body secured between the said shafts, a forward wheel,a fork in which said wheel is mounted, a post on said fork extendingupward through the body, a rearwardly-extending arm carried by said forkand having an antifriction-roller, and pivotal arms adapted to bear onopposite sides of said roller and connected together by a spiral spring,substantially as described.

2. In a velocipede comprising an axle, wheels, seat and shafts, thecombination of a body secured to the said shafts,a forward wheel forsupporting said body, a fork in which said wheel is mounted, a post onsaid fork extending upward through said body, means for turning saidpost, an arm extending rearward from said fork with which it is directlyconnected and carrying a roller, pivotal arms extending into engagementwith said roller and drawn together by a spiral spring, and means forlimiting the movement of said arm, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

EBEN W. HYDE. Witnesses:

FREDRIO G. EARLE, CLARA L. WEED.

